Finland's defence administration on Friday proposed Mikkeli, the town where the Finnish Army Command is based, as the location for NATO's Multi Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC), said the Ministry of Defence.
Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen stated the matter in the morning, said the ministry, adding that Finland is closely involved in the detailed military planning process which NATO has launched for establishing the MCLCC.
"Establishing the new MCLCC in Finland is an important step towards making the NATO deterrence and defence posture even stronger. The Finnish Army Command in Mikkeli was an obvious choice for hosting a NATO command. …. The proposal was founded on a military opinion, which then provided the basis for the Finnish defence administration's assessment," said Häkkänen.
The MCLCC will plan, prepare and command the activities of NATO land forces in Northern Europe under Joint Force Command Norfolk. In normal conditions, the MCLCC will be responsible for NATO exercises and other peacetime activities in its area.
In a crisis, it would command NATO's land force operations in its area. The command will have staff from the Allies and the Finnish Defence Forces. The planning and implementation will progress in stages, with a more specific timetable to be announced in 2025.
"Finland has excellent knowledge of the conditions and requirements in the northern area. Establishing the MCLCC in Finland shows that NATO recognises and trusts Finland's expertise," the Defence Minister said.
At their meeting in June, NATO defence ministers gave their political support to establishing a Multi Corps Land Component Command and the presence of Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Finland.
The proposals were endorsed at the NATO summit in July. NATO will make political decisions on the specifics of the MCLCC and the presence of FLF next year, when military planning has progressed further.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi